Fabulous vegan recipes that the family will love

The first month of the year marks Veganuary - and after weeks of massive meaty meals and giant cheese platters, most of us could do with a bit of a change of diet.

For those who haven't cooked much vegan food before, there are hundreds of delicious recipes, ingredients and cooking techniques to try to create a month of colourful, hearty and family-friendly dishes.

So invest in packs of pulses, stock up on seeds and fill your trolley with seasonal veggies, as this Veganuary is going to be a hit. Here are some recipes to inspire your shopping list...

BREAKFAST

Breakfast can be tricky without eggs and dairy, but there are plenty of alternatives and simple swaps to keep you going.

If you're a fan of cereal, there's no need to give up your favourite breakfast - try using a plant-based milk like almond milk or soya milk instead. Or why not try making your own overnight oats. Simply pop almond milk, poppy seeds, maple syrup, peanut butter and oats in a jar before you go to sleep, and when you wake up in the morning it will be nicely mixed together and ready to eat. Porridge fans will love the flavours in our vegan carrot cake flavour oats - made with almond milk and packed with cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins and walnuts.

Egg fans, why not try avocado on toast topped with seeds or fresh chilli? Or fry off some mushrooms or tomatoes for a delicious toast topper.

Falafel is a real winner when it comes to a vegan diet. You can pop them in a wrap with tzatziki and rocket or serve on rice with pickled cabbage. And leftover roasted vegetables from Sunday lunch go wonderfully in our veggie quesadillas (just make sure you use vegan cheese).

And we shouldn't forget about vegan's best friend - soup! Like a smoothie, you can pretty much put anything into a soup. If you don't want to eat bread you can bulk out your soup with pulses to add more protein. This chunky bean soup contains cannellini beans and pasta, so no need to reach for a roll.

DINNER

Curries, both Thai and Indian are going to become your new best friend, as are your spice cupboard and condiments.

This one-pan biryani has bags of flavour. And once you've mastered one biryani, you could mix up the flavours and ingredients to suit your mood. Keeping along the curry theme, this coconut, aubergine and lentil curry is sure to please the family. Coconut milk makes everything taste amazing, and the big chunks of aubergine will satisfy that meaty craving.

Don't forget chilli - a meaty favourite, it can very easily be turned into a vegan dinner. This recipe uses broad beans and kidney beans plus all those favourite spices to create an amazing depth of flavour. It's served with cauliflower rice to make the dish lighter, but you could also opt for traditional rice.

This homemade tomato sauce with basil can be made ahead and frozen - so whenever you're short on time, just add it to some pasta or rice. Throw in some pulses or tofu if you're in need of some protein.

And don't think that a vegan diet doesn't mean you can't serve burgers. These quinoa and beetroot burgers are perfect for getting the kids involved. Get them to help mash all the ingredients together and shape into burger patties.

DESSERT

Desserts and bakes usually contain some form of eggs or dairy, but there are lots of new recipes that use clever ways of binding cake mixes together and alternatives to butter.

This parsnip, fruit and nut cake uses sunflower spread instead of butter and no eggs, so definitely a weekend winner. If you're having people round for dinner and want a quick and easy vegan dessert then look no further than this kiwi lime sorbet. It's made with only three ingredients and will be a refreshing end to dinner.